Lakeland Mail Carrier Arrested for Theft of Mail and Treasury Checks

Lakeland Mail Carrier Arrested for Theft of Mail and Treasury Checks

TAMPA, FL—United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces the arrest of Franklin C. Barnes (48, Winter Haven) on a federal complaint charging him with theft of mail and government property in the form of U.S. Treasury checks. Barnes made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas G. Wilson today, in Tampa, and was released on a $25,000 personal surety bond.

According to the complaint, Barnes stole at least three U.S. Treasury checks from the mail that were addressed to an address on his postal route, and sold them to an undercover law enforcement agent. A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was part of an ongoing joint investigative effort by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Lakeland Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kelley Howard-Allen.